Reed contact switching unit having resilient stud means for securing coil



3, 1965 A. ZERFASS 3,284,738

REED CONTACT SWITCHING UNIT HAVING RESILIENT STUD MEANS FOR SECURINGCOIL Filed Sept. 15, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3,284,738 HING UNIT HAVINGRESILIENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A. ZERFASS REED GQNTACT SWITC STUD MEANS FORSECURING COIL 7 LI I I )III Nov. 8, 1966 Filed Sept. 15, 1964 UnitedStates; Patent s 284 73s REED CONTACT swIicHING UNIT HAVING RE- 'SILIENTsrnn MEANS FOR SECURING 'COIL Andreas Zerfass; Stuttgart-Well im Dorf,Germany, asi This inventionjrelates in general to reedrelays and inparticular to an arrangement of reed contacts for use in either normallyopen or normally closed relays wherein a permanent magnet is arrangedjuxtaposed to the contacts and the entire arrangement comprising thecontacts and the magnet make up a replaceable modular unit.

There are reed contact relays known, equipped with a permanent magnetand which operate, depending on the intensity of the magnetism of thepermanent magnet as non-operative or retentive relays. With these knownarrangements the reed contacts and the permanent magnet are accommodatedwithin the exciter coil and are encircled by said coil. Reed contactsand permanent magnet are inserted individually into the relay, fixedwithin the coil body and weakened to a certain magnetizing magnitude ofthe permanent magnet in an alternating field, together with the coilbody. This arrangement, however, shows the considerable drawback that bythe individual fixing of the reed contacts and of the permanent magnetthe position of said permanent magnet to one or the other, or to allreed contacts used can be changed by mechanical shocks so that the onceestablished values of the permanent magnet change, and consequently thepull-up and drop values of the reed contacts, in parallel to thepermanent magnet, are outside the required tolerances.

Prior art arrangements show the permanent magnet and the reed contactsconnected by a metal strip forming a sleeve, to glue the reed contactsin said sleeve-forming metal strip and bythis connects them to acompact,

replaceable component. This arrangement shows various advantagescompared with the aforementioned design known, particularly with regardto combinding the permanent magnet and the reed contacts into areplaceable component. It is shown that it is impossible to glue contactand magnet together, because the glass of the reed tube and thepermanent magnet have so different heat expansion coefficients that itmay occur that the reed tube shows cracks or the glueing is dissolvedwith the result that either the reed contacts become useless or due tothe solution of the glueing the once set magnetic field intensity of thepermanent magnet becomes useless for the entire component.

The object of the invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of thearrangement known. This is achieved, according to the invention, thatthe reed contact or contacts with the permanent magnet, producing aconstant magnetic field, are enclosed in a poured resin block in such away that, with consideration to maintain a small but defined distance ofthe individual components to each other, the terminal ends of the reedcontact or contacts protrude from the finished resin block, and that theresin block is designed thus that on one side a firm stud and on theother side a movable or elastic stud is provided which can be bent backwhen inserting the thus formed component into a coil body and, afterinsertion is completed, engages in rear of a projection of the coilbody, and thereby fixes the component in its longitudinal direction. Theresin used for the component shows the temperature constancy of the coilbody the permanent magnet thus surrounded by the resin will be set,depending on the use either as a non-operative closed-circuit relay or aretentive relay, outside the coil body in an alternating field to apredetermined magnetic magnitude so that the pull-up and drop values ofthe reed contacts, enclosed together with the permanent magnet in theresin, remain within the tolerances required.

The invention shows the advantage that when using a certain resin thevarying ditterence between the heat expansion cofiicients of theindividual elements are balanced. By fixing the individual elements inone compact block a subsequent mechanical shifting and consequently achange of the magnetic values of said elements is impossible. Anotherlarge advantage is obtained from the elastic stud protruding from a partof the resin block which fixes, in cooperation with the firm stud, thecomplete component within a coil body or in the longitudinal directionfor a corresponding fitting within a coil, wound without a coil body.

Thereby all additional fixing means for the individual elements or theentire component within the coil body can be omitted as compared withthe arrangements known or proposed.

The invention is now in detail explained with the aid of theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a component according to the invention,

- enclosed in resin, top view and in enlarged scale,

FIG. 2 shows a component according to FIG. 1, seen from the side,

FIG. 3 shows a component according to FIG. 1, seen from the front,

FIG. 4 shows a component according to FIG. I, seen from the front sideas per FIG. 3, inserted into a coil body.

FIG. 5 shows another example according to FIG. 1 in lateral view,

FIG. 6 shows a component as shown in FIG. 5, but seen from top,

FIG. 7 shows a component according to FIG. 5, seen from the front side,and

FIG. 8 shows a component according to FIG. 5 as represented per FIG. 7,inserted into a coil body.

FIG. 1 and the other figures show a resin block 1, called in thefollowing paragraphs also a component. In said resin block reed contacts2 and a permanent magnet 3 are accommodated in such a way that theterminals 4 and 5 of the reed contacts serving for connection protrudefrom said resin block. The component shows on one end a firm stud 8 andon the other end an elastic stud 6.

Between the elastic stud 6 and the resin block 1 an elastic arm 7 isprovided which is located between the grooves 11 and 12.

As may be gathered from FIG. 2 the component described in FIG. 1 is seenfrom the side in section, providing a hollow space 10 in rear of theelastic stud 6 into which said elastic stud 6 can be bent, wheninserting the component into the coil body, shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 3 shows the component from the front side whereby the individualelements, concentrated within the component are shown in dotted lines.

FIG. 4 shows the component as per FIG. 3, inserted into a coil body 9.As already described, the elastic stud 6 can be bent into the hollowspace 10 of the resin block 1, when inserting into the coil body, andsprings back after the edge 6" of said stud 6 engages in rear of theexterior portion of the flange of the coil body 9 or into a projectiontherefor provided. The component 1 inserted-thus into the coil body isfixed within said body against shifting in longitudinal direction.

FIG. 5 and the other FIGS. 6 to 8 show a component 1 accommodating onlyone reed contact 2 and a permanent magnet 3. In this component 1 theterminals 4 block. The'component 1 "shows only small differencescompared with the component 1 and those parts showing such dilferencesare marked with the same references as in the preceding FIGS. 1 to 4,but a prime has been added to said'references. For example the firm studof the component 1' is marked with 8 and the elastic stud with 6, theelastic arm with 7' and the space in rear of the elastic stud 6 with10'. The indents rendering the elastic properties to the arm 7' of thecomponent 1' are marked with 11 and 12; Therefore no separate aspectsarise for the description of FIGS. 6 and 7 compared with the descriptionfor the FIGS. 1 to 3, consequently no closer explanation of said FIGS. 6and 7 is necessary.

FIG. 8 shows a component accordingto FIG. inserted into a coil body 9'.The component 1' is not yet completely inserted into the coil body 9 sothat the elastic stud 7' is shown bending into the hollow space When theunit 1 is completely inserted into the coil body 9 the stud 7 will be ina position indicated by a dotted line and marked 7 The components 1 or 1can also be inserted into a wound coil without coil body, when theexternal and internal dimensions of the coil are fitted to thecomponents 1 or 1', respectively. It is also possible, in contrast tothe explained and described examples, to combine more than two reedcontacts with one or several permanent magnets to a component accordingto the invention, not particularly shown on the drawing.

While the principles of the invention have been described above inconnection with specific apparatus and applications, it is to beunderstood that this description is made only by way of example and notas a limitation on the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A reed relay assembly comprisinga plurality of reed contactscontained in glass tubes, permanent magnet means arranged parallel tosaid tubes, resin block means for mounting said tubes and said permanentmagnet in a juxtaposed, spaced apart relationship, terminals connectedto said contacts and protruding from said vresin block, reed relayoperating coil means, said resin block.

having stud means for fixedly mounting said resin block in said coil,said stud means comprising a resilient stud on one end of said block anda firm stud on the other end of said block, and means on said coil forengaging said studs when said block is fully inserted in said coil.

2. In the relay assembly of claim'l wherein said stud means comprises atleast one resilient stud.

3. In the relay assembly of claim 2 whereinsaid re silient studcomprises a stud integrally mounted to a References Cited by theExaminer UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,870,287 1/1959 Corbitt et a1. 200-873,015,707 1/ 1962 Perreault 200-87 3,121,147

2/1964 Dal Bianco et al. 200-87 BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner.

, J. I. BAKER, Assistant Examiner.

1. A REED RELAY ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF REED CONTACTSCONTAINED IN GLASS TUBES, PERMANENT MAGNET MEANS ARRANGED PARALLEL TOSAID TUBES, RESIN BLOCK MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID TUBES AND SAID PERMANENTMAGNET IN IN JUXTAPOSED, SPACED APART RELATIONSHIP, TERMINALS CONNECTEDTO SAID CONTACTS AND PROTRUDING FROM SAID RESIN BLOCK, REED RELAYOPERATING COIL MEANS, SAID RESIN BLOCK HAVING STUD MEANS FOR FIXEDLYMOUNTING SAID RESIN BLOCK IN SAID COIL, SAID STUD MEANS COMPRISING ARESILIENT STUD ON ONE END OF SAID BLOCK AND A FIRM STUD ON THE OTHER ENDOF SAID BLOCK, AND MEANS ON SAID COIL FOR ENGAGING SAID STUDS WHEN SAIDBLOCK IS FULLY INSERTED IN SAID COIL.